NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Plasma irregularities caused by cycloid bunching of the CRRES G-2 barium releaseThe Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) spacecraft carried a number of barium thermite canisters for release into the upper atmosphere. The barium release labeled G-2 showed evidence of curved irregularities not aligned with the ambient magnetic field B. The newly discovered curved structures can be explained by a process called cycloid bunching. Cycloid bunching occurs when plasma is created by photoionization of a neutral cloud injected at high velocity perpendicular to B. If the injection velocity is much larger than the expansion speed of the cloud, the ion trail will form a cycloid that has irregularities spaced by the product of the perpendicular injection speed and the ion gyroperiod, Images of the solar-illuminated barium ions are compared with the results of a three-dimensional kinetic simulation. Cycloid bunching is shown to be responsible for the rapid generation of both curved and field-aligned irregularities in the CRRES G-2 experiment.
Document ID
19930040611
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Bernhardt, P. A.
(NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Huba, J. D.
(U.S. Navy, Naval Research Lab. Washington, United States)
Pongratz, M. B.
(NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Simons, D. J.
(NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Wolcott, J. H.
(Los Alamos National Lab. NM, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
February 1, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 98
Issue: A2
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
93A24608
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available